This is not the culture war of the 1990s. It is not a fight over guns, gays or abortion. Those old battles have been eclipsed by a new struggle between two competing visions of the country's future. In one, America will continue to be an exceptional nation organized around the principles of free enterprise -- limited government, a reliance on entrepreneurship and rewards determined by market forces. In the other, America will move toward European-style statism grounded in expanding bureaucracies, a managed economy and large-scale income redistribution. These visions are not reconcilable. We must choose.

These two ideas do not have to be mutually exclusive. Free markets do not solve all problems and neither does govt. regulation.
But I am not prepared to give power and control of this country to bankers and corporations. How many more economic depressions do we need before people realize that putting all of our faith in businesses that only care about profits and will exploit weak policies and loopholes (that will hurt the american people in the end), is NOT a good system. Money becomes God.
Give the government (and control of the U.S. back to the people). We need our voice..not a smaller, watered down voice.

This is a short but compelling thesis on what's wrong with America and how we citizens can fix it. Government never made America the super-power she is today. It was people, who had the God given good fortune to be living in a country where hard work and sound thinking rewards an individual with greater prosperity and a higher standard of living.

Many government leaders today, actively sell the concept that government somehow is the driver of our economy. And increasingly it is because it is consuming at gunpoint, more out of the GDP than ever before.

But that does not make for a prosperous and free people. Only free enterprise in a free America can stop the downward trajectory our leaders in Washington DC have sent us on.

I can not think of a gov. in our past history that does not revolve around the individual. These people in Washington do not believe the individual made this country, the one place on earth that everyone wants to come to for economic freedom. They believe that the country was made great by big gov. Big gov. is about to break the European union. I guess we have followed the European style since this man has been in the White House,and he has put us in debt for more than a trillion dollars.All of you that think you will get something for nothing keep this madness up and there will not be much different than Greece. I do not guess you have bothered to keep up with the European style of gov. Thats where we are heading if we do not get back to the basics.
The private sector has run this country up to the top of the world. This has been the greatest experiment the world has ever seen.
You people that are trying to change my country---leave the damn thing and start over with the "change you can believe in" and take the people you gave power to , with you.

Individuals aren't much without a society in which to operate. How good is an invention if there is no one to buy the product? Would George Washington have been able to win the Revolutionary War without soldiers? People need people...success is impossible otherwise.
The greatest successes the world has ever seen happen when people work together.

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

Individuals are the society. How do you figure your statement. It's just the opposite of what you said. No individuals-no society. The individuals determine what type of society we will have-be it good for everyone or just for the ones in power. Point is, that's where we are heading if we do not get a handle on our near future, and get the gov. out of our daily lives. They want to control us from cradle to grave. Beg for their scraps they will throw to be kept in power--- I don't think so!!!
Your quote at the end of your statement makes me believe you are a religious person, and I respect that, but I have another thought that was instilled in me as I was growing up. God Helps those who help themselves. That is the difference between the individual society and a government one. They don't believe in Gods help. They want to be all powerful and you under their thumb. Help us get rid of it back to constitutional size, then we can get back to the greatest experiment the world has ever seen. Complete freedom as it was set up to be. Stand on your own two feet, and do not become a moocher like sooooo many.

The point is, individuals are not effective unless there is a society in which to operate. The society or group coming together is the important aspect. Remove an individual from society, the society still operates. Remove the framework and it falls apart.
You operate under the belief that government involvement is evil. The supposed elected voice of the people (us) are evil. This is true in the sense that government is not run by people but by corporations. They run this country. They buy our politicians so politicians no longer work for us. Those who want to limit government and remove the only barriers that corporations have on absolute power and subsequently allow them to fill the power vacuum left behind is not a great plan. The American people need to take their government back so that it becomes the voice of the people and not special interests.
Our world is more complex today than during the time of the Constitution. I do not agree that a constitution size government will be effective at all in governing our modern world.

Yes God helps those who help themselves, but we do not get to judge that. We are called to take care of the least of these.

There is so much regulation on American business today, you can hardly call the US a 'free' country. And, with all this regulation - the US federal government still failed to stop the meltdown. Why? Because they're much of the cause.

Those poor regulations are just an attempt to keep us warm and cozy and provide a false sense of security...the most dangerous of all is that it gives some people the impression that we shouldn’t have any regulation or involvement at all because it was proven "ineffective". This is not true and definitely not in all cases.
I enjoy drinking relatively clean, unpolluted water, not having an over population of 6 legged frogs and having safely built structures, among other things.
Good, effective -untainted by big business- regulation is needed...especially in the days of Goldman Sacks, Bernie Madoff and other crooks. If your definition of "freedom" includes allowing businesses and corporations to act in immoral ways that harm American people, then you should probably reexamine your ideology. Even most geniuses have been wrong a time or two.

Did you know that Social Security is unfunded to the tune of $70 trillion dollars? That's more than 5 times the US GDP. A corporation with unfunded liabilities like that would see its Officers and Directors in jail.

The US government makes Bernie Madoff look like a petty shoplifter.

Medicaid and Medicare are also unfunded for an additional $50 trillion dollars.

If you want to punish someone for ripping off the system, start with your US federal government. Corporations are pikers next to them.

Thank you for addressing only part of my post.
Like I said..big business buys politicians. They are running the show and perpetuating our government’s ineffectiveness.
The oil spill is a perfect example of how our government was bought by business..and we always pay the price. BP will get their settlement cap. All is well in the corporate world.
Government for the people is not the issue. The issue is when government is influenced by outside forces.

And imagine these same people you described, all in important places in government. Government is unique in that it has the guns, enforcement, and your tax dollars to do anything it wants. This power is not concentrated in any corporations or individuals. America's Founding Fathers understood the lust for power inherent in some people and chose to limit the scope of government accordingly.

Voters have the ability to keep government in check if they choose to exersize their power. Apathy has hindered that. But limit government and corporations will be accountable to no one. We should hope and pray that they will act morally?
It is not a perfect system but it is better than no system.
Our world has changed in the last 200 years. The problems we face now are much more complex, are more expensive and have global ramifications. Our wonderful and intelligent founding fathers also considered that times will change, as will and needs of the people.

Notice Rand Paul was mentioned as if he is some kind of hero. He's been so busy flip-flopping since he won his primary, he can barely hold his own tea cup. Scott Brown deserves a second look. He voted for financial reform. One more time people, policies that benifit the American people are smart government. Not a handout, not socialism, not the end of the world as we know it.

You have blinders on. A society is a group of individuals living together. Good or bad. That is a society.
You people that pray to big government to provide for your daily bread---new information for you that came out yesterday. For the first quarter of this year, private sector pay checks, are the least amount in the history of our country. Meanwhile the government payouts are the highest in the history of our country. This includes-welfare-social security-food stamps-unemployment for over a year-medical for illegal people and the list goes on,and on. If you can't follow that you have a set of blinders on like my grandaddy's mule named Maud. As long as she could see the feed bucket, she did not have the gumption to look around and see what else was coming her way. Just tug on the bit we forced in her mouth, and that was the direction she went. If you did not feed her, she balked,but as long as you threw those scraps, she did anything you wanted to do. Sound familiar???
You anti business people remember who keeps the business going-Fireman-school teachers-law enforcement-mill workers-any person with a 401k or Ira or any other investment to earn enough to live out our dimming American dream, what ever the job they preform for their benefit and family. These are the people that have the power to put people in charge through a simple thing called, a vote. There have been people that have lobbied since gov. It is more now than ever.If you would research people, and vote for the ones that say they will not be influenced by anything other than a guideline called the Constitution, they are out there. You made the asinine statement -It wont work. For your information it has worked for 230 yrs.-give or take a year or so. Not a bad record, but you genius people all of a sudden want to be like Europe. Well the big gov.with all of their payouts are on the verge of folding. I suppose this is the future you would put on my great grandchild. She is 4 months and she all ready owes this big government approx $36,000 dollars for her part now. So does every man, woman and child in this country, I guess this tickles you to no end. Research it, the information is there.

I have researched it,even studied it in Psychology under Miss Ora Lee Howard years ago. You are right, people have a tendency to believe just about anything. Thats why you have Maud's blinders on looking at the feed bucket and cant see the forest for looking at the trees. I guess people like you will never be happy till half of the population works in government, and the other half of us working as individuals, that live in this society, made up of individuals, which make the society, have to give up enough of our hard earned money to keep that half living in comfort, because now the pay scale of gov.employees, on average,is more than the private sector. Oh yea, by the way, the half of us that keep up gov. the ones that pay no taxes are on our half,which means ooohhh goody we have to pay more because no one bothered to teach them to fish instead of waiting for some one else to feed them. If you are religious you will know to what I am referring. You sound like someone waiting on the fish to be passed out.--research that!!!

We people want to be able to live on our paycheck, go to the doctor when we need to, afford the basics in life. Big business so obviously needs some rules and regulations. Those of us who are able to use our minds for something besides Glenn Beck see this clearly. You should have figured out by now that the world doesn't really end every time Obama makes a move. But stay scared...That's where the terrorists and the republicans want you.

It's scary to think there are people like you, that probably was educated by our school system and--probably--thought--it--was-- free. If you wish to harm the shareholders any more, I do believe you must look through a spectrum of Utopian Equate ism, everybody should have the same amount of stuff, no matter how hard or how dangerous their job, no one should have anything more or different than anyone else. The only thing you accomplish with more regulations is hurting the people that make this great country of ours, loose their hard earned money. You sound like a smart guy or girl, so look up Sarbanes-Oxley and read just some of the dumb regulations that was placed on business. Evidently you have never been in business for yourself or had to balance budgets. There is a big difference looking from your side of the fence. You are beginning to sound like the people that think everybody owes you. If you are as young as I think you are, don't worry,you are suppose to gain knowledge----most of us did through experiences in life, but sadly there are still some that remained idiots, and all they can see is the feed bucket, and not pay attention to what's coming. Oh, do me a favor---don't forget your fishing pole,because the rest of us are just about out of bait!!! Next time we exchange thoughts I'll tell you how to dig your own worms instead of depending on Obama to keep your cup full.
P.S If we the people do not turn Obama's health care around in Nov. I hope you people that are chomping at the bit for this, enjoy the I.R.S. to be deeply involved in your life more than they are now,because---THEY gonna be. THEY will fine you for not jumping through hoops,and not buying what THEY tell you to buy when it comes to health care, because the Ins companies will not be able to compete with gov. THEY do not have to make a profit to operate THEY just have the power to print money without anything to back it up, and use force to take it away from those that pay out their hard earned money to give to those who did not bother to have gumption enough to earn their own, but wants someone else to feed them their fish, but you would know that if you had any common sense at all, Oh yea-- if you owe the gov. for a medical procedure,and do not pay them when THEY tell you to, THEY will have the power to reach in your--bank account--savings account--401 account--any investment account you may have--and take it without your permission or knowledge, because you will be in a governmental health computer to control your treatments, and not your Dr.( Wonder what that will do to a credit card, or a check written on your account when the money is suppose to be there,but not, to pay your rent, or house payment). Fine you--put leans on anything you may be lucky enough to own, and there are a lot of other goodies that are in your Obama Socialist Health care Bill. I know you are dying for it to hurry and get here---let me rephrase that---you may die in line after it gets here, and I do not get all my information from Beck. I try to listen to both sides, and research on my own, not take a ten second sound bite and take it for gospel like a lot of small minded people that are too lazy to do a little digging on their own. You find out who is what when you crawl under the covers and not on top of them. Research That!!!! We will never be united as long as there are people with your mindset. I am so glad I stand in a very large number and growing every day that see people like you for what you are---a huggy, huggy, kissy kissy kinda type guy or gal.

The issues of limited government and free markets have always been at the heart of true conservative constitutionalists. However, to abandon issues like guns, gays, and abortions, as the author labels them, would be a destructive mistake. These constitutional and legal issues are at the heart of our message as well. There is a big push among many conservatives to only accept part of the conservative message, which is the economic message, but say they are not materialists. I'm not buying it. There can never be justice, individual rights, or liberty in a society where there is not true law. If the law is slacked wrong prevails, which is what is happening today in our 70%-30% society.

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